Brussels Sprouts Salad with Bacon & Pomegranate

Give the humble Brussels Sprout a makeover this Christmas with this delicious and festive Sprout Salad with Bacon and Pomegranate.

Brussel Sprouts…. two words that instill complete fear in children come Christmas Day! Lets face it, most of us were force fed mushy overcooked sprouts at some stage, told we had to eat them because it was tradition. So it’s no wonder that most of the adult population now regard these as the devil’s own vegetables! But stay with me because I promise this salad is going to knock the socks off the soggy sprouts you remember from your childhood.

First of all, this is a salad. A little controversial maybe given the time of year and weather but trust me, raw sprouts make the THE BEST salad base. There is also parmesan, bacon, flaked almonds and pomegranate seeds involved. Is that enough to tempt you yet?

The pomegranate vinaigrette is one of my favourite things about this dish. It’s a wonderful combination of tangy pomegranate seeds and sweet honey. The colour is absolutely wonderful and really brings the whole dish alive when you pour it on top.

I made my vinaigrette quick thick as I wanted it to coat the salad rather than drown it in liquid and make it soggy. But feel free to add more oil and vinegar if you prefer it less thick.

I mention in the notes of the recipe below that this recipe can be partly made in advance. This will be really helpful if you plan on making this dish on Christmas Day. The bacon can be fried in advance. You can also slice the sprouts and scallions and prepare the pomegranate seeds by removing them from the fruit. I would then keep them in individual containers or bags in the fridge for up to 12 hours and simply add them to the grated parmesan and flaked almonds when you are ready to serve.

The pomegranate dressing can also be made in advance and stored in a jar or container in the fridge.

So what do you think? Have I been able to convince you to give the dreaded brussels sprout a second chance this Christmas?

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Bacon & Pomegranate

Description

Give the humble Brussels Sprout a makeover this Christmas with this delicious and festive Sprout Salad with Bacon and Pomegranate.
Adapted from this Chopped Brussel Sprouts Salad by Pinch of Yum

Ingredients

For the salad:

300g bacon

500g raw brussels sprouts

2 scallions

50g parmesan, grated

25g flaked almonds

seeds of 1/2 pomegranate

For the dressing:

seeds of 1/2 pomegranate

100ml extra virgin olive oil

30ml white wine vinegar

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Chop the bacon into small pieces and fry in a frying pan until cooked and crisp.

Next you will need to thinly slice the brussels sprouts. The easiest and quickest way I found of doing this was in the food processor, using the slicer attachment but you could also do it by hand with a sharp knife. Once the sprouts have all been sliced, slice the scallions in the same way.

In a bowl arrange the bacon, sprouts, scallions, grated parmesan, flaked almonds and pomegranate seeds. You can mix them altogether at this stage but personally I would bring the salad to the table like this as it looks like impressive. You can then toss all the ingredients immediately before serving.

To make the vinaigrette blend the pomegranate seeds, olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey, mustard and salt and pepper together in a blender. If the dressing is too thick add a little more oil and vinegar until it reaches your desired consistency.

The vinaigrette can be served mixed into the salad or on the side.

Notes

This salad is perfect for preparing in advance. You can fry the bacon and prepare the sprouts and scallions and keep them all in the fridge until you are ready. The vinaigrette can also be made in advance.

I’ve never ever used sprouts in a salad, but you’ve inspired me with all of the other delicious-ness in there. Seriously almonds, bacon and parmesan? That’s the dream! This looks so beautiful too. It’s definitely on my to make list this festive season. Thanks so much for sharing on #festivefoodfriday.